


The Spaces In-between

by orayofsunshine



Series: Close to What I'm Needing [5]
Category: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: F/M, Frequent drunken shenanigans, Healthy Male Friendships, Missing Scene, One Shot Collection, Teen Romance, basically either shameless smut or tooth rooting fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:26:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27620657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orayofsunshine/pseuds/orayofsunshine
Summary: A series of one shots, outtakes, and drabbles from the "Close to What I'm Needing" series.
Relationships: Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley, Josie Pye/Original Male Character
Series: Close to What I'm Needing [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1715890
Comments: 32
Kudos: 106





	1. Spiced Apples

**Author's Note:**

> So I'll be throwing in one shots here as I write them, for both Shirbert and Hensie (Henry/Josie, I can't remember who called them that first but massive kudos for coming up with their ship name lol), I have a handful sitting on my laptop that I'll post whenever the fancy strikes me. Make sure you check out the summary/author's note before each chapter for warnings, as ratings will vary! A little context for this one shot: I wrote this while I was writing New Courage, and had planned on using it later on in the series, but I took things in a different direction so this became obsolete and I didn't feel like reworking it so that it would fit into the fic. So this would have taken place during the summer after their first year at University, and up until this point there had not been any ~risque~ behavior besides some fumbling and heavy petting (aka, they haven't seen each other naked yet). Enjoy! 
> 
> Ch. 1: Spiced Apples  
> Pairing: Shirbert  
> Rating: E  
> Summary: Anne and Gilbert return to a familiar watering hole for a picnic, and things get out of hand in the best way.

“Why don’t we go for a swim?” Gilbert suggested, raising an eyebrow at her before pushing his suspenders off of his shoulders and pulling his shirts off. Anne giggled, eyes roving over the toned muscles of his chest and abdomen, biting her lip as she admired him. She followed suit, stripping down until they were both standing in front of each other in their underthings. 

A sudden idea struck Anne, and while it was bold, she wasn’t sure when the opportunity that had presented itself would strike again. She swallowed her nerves, clearing her throat as she took a step closer to Gilbert. 

“You know, it’s going to take an awfully long time to dry our clothes out in the sun when we get out of the water,” She started, trying to keep her voice steady as she finished her thought. “Maybe we should just… take these off too.” 

Gilbert’s eyes went wide as the words came out of her mouth, and she inhaled sharply, embarrassment flooding her as she looked away quickly. 

“Actually, that was stupid. Let’s pretend I never said that and-” She turned away from him, ready to march into the swimming hole without looking back, but his hand wrapping around her wrist stopped her. He tugged on her gently, pulling her in towards him. He wrapped an arm around her waist, resting his forehead against hers as he moved the hand that was around her wrist up to cup her cheek gently. 

“Is that what you want?” He asked, voice husky and trembling slightly. Anne couldn’t help but smile, knowing after a year of courting that Gilbert trembling meant they were headed down a very good path. She nodded, pressing up just enough to kiss him soundly. 

“Yes,” She breathed against his lips, but then gulped as nerves overtook her. She hadn’t thought much about this at all, and now that it came down to logistics, she was starting to lose her nerve. She gnawed on her lip for a moment before looking up at Gilbert through her eyelashes. “But could you turn around? At least until I get into the water.” 

Her beloved grinned, pressing another kiss to her lips as he nodded. “Of course, whatever you’re comfortable with, Anne-girl.” 

She giggled, kissing him once more before grabbing him by the shoulders and turning him around to face the woods. She took a deep breath, gathering her resolve as she pulled off her chemise and bloomers, running quickly into the water to hide her nakedness, even though it was impossible for anyone to stumble upon them out there. 

“Alright, I’m in!” She called once she had walked in to her waist, sinking into the water so that it lapped against her shoulders. Gilbert turned around then, a lopsided grin on his face. 

“Now you turn around, it’s only fair!” He laughed, and she stuck her tongue out at him, but did as he asked, turning to face the other way. Her heart was beating erratically, and even though she knew he was following her into the water, she still nearly jumped out of her skin when his hand gently brushed her shoulder. She turned, eyes wide as Gilbert grinned at her, his eyes sparkling. Her eyes betrayed her when they glanced down to the surface of the water, which was just murky enough that she could only make out the vague shapes of his legs and nothing more. She looked away just as quick as she had peeked, making Gilbert laugh. Despite the kissing and groping they had been able to do in stolen moments, this was a first, and she wasn’t sure how to proceed. 

Anne chewed on her lip, choosing to look anywhere but at Gilbert. That’s why she didn’t notice when he reached out, dragging his fingers gently over the skin of her shoulder, tracing inwards to her collarbones, then up the column of her throat. 

“It’s just me,” Gilbert said, hand finding her chin and gently bringing it down to look at him. There was about six inches of space between them, and Anne was sure that every drop of oxygen had been sucked from that space. “Can I kiss you?” 

Anne didn’t respond, only nodding in consent as she leaned in, bringing her hands up to his shoulders, anchoring herself to him. They kissed slowly for a moment, keeping their hands in safe positions as they got used to the new level of intimacy they were experiencing. She could tell Gilbert was struggling to hold his composure, and after a few minutes of kissing her pulled away, panting heavily as he rested his forehead against hers.

“Please, Anne-girl, I need to feel your body on mine.” He said, chest heaving as his fingers dug into her shoulders. She smiled, leaning in to kiss him and capture his bottom lip between her teeth. 

“My body is, and will always be, yours.” She whispered as she released his lip, and the absolutely wicked moan that left Gilbert’s mouth sent heat straight to the apex of her thighs. Having her consent, Gilbert wasted no time, wrapping his arms around her waist and hauling her to him, his lips meeting hers in a searing kiss. Anne moaned as skin met skin, and she couldn’t help but wrap her legs around Gilbert’s hips, anchoring herself to him. Her hands explored the contours of his back, running her nails lightly over his skin, making him hiss in pleasure. His hands were everywhere, moving so languidly around her body that she could hardly keep up. 

He tore his lips away from hers, blazing a path across her cheek and down to her neck, where he peppered the skin with kisses and nibbles, drawing little sighs and moans from her lips. 

“I remember the first time we came here, last summer.” He mumbled against her skin, biting the junction of where her shoulder met her neck.

“Seeing you in your underwear, it drove me crazy.” He gasped against her skin. Anne was writhing against him, knowing that if she scooted her bottom down just slightly, she would connect the most sensitive parts of their bodies, but Gilbert was holding her firmly in place with one arm wrapped around her middle, the other running up and down her ribcage. 

“And then we played that game,” He continued, kissing across her collarbones, leaving fire behind as he went. “And you were sitting on my shoulders. I almost embarrassed myself so bad that day, I could hardly control myself.” 

Anne moaned, running her fingers through his hair, guiding his head as it continued its journey across her chest. 

“And when you let me touch your legs, Jesus Christ, I almost came when I felt how soft your legs were.” He said breathlessly, his hand moving down boldly over the curve of her waist and bottom, lingering there before moving further to stroke the outsides of her thighs. 

“Gilbert-” She breathed, sounding absolutely wrecked as she melted into his touch. She needed more, she needed something else or she would surely combust. 

He must have read her mind, because only a moment had passed after her name left his lips before his hands were on her ass again, squeezing tightly as he used his new grip to push her up out of the water, exposing her breasts to him. A gasp left her lips as cool air met her skin, leaving her top half covered in goosebumps. 

“Fuck,” He breathed, the dirty word making her melt as he began exploring her chest with his mouth, rubbing the smooth skin against his cheeks as he nuzzled her. 

“More, Gil, please.” She whimpered, pulling his hair slightly to encourage him to do something, anything to continue the pleasure he was already giving her. He pulled away from her, a devilish smile playing on his lips before he winked and took one of her nipples into his mouth. 

Anne was very glad that no one was around, because she did nothing to stop the loud moan that left her at the sensation of his mouth on her chest, nipping and suckling on her nipple, rolling his tongue around it as his other hand kneaded and pinched at her other breast. She felt like she was going to explode as the foreign sensations filled her body, and she knew she couldn’t wait another moment without feeling him. She wiggled slightly in his grasp, using her legs around his waist to drop herself lower, finally rolling her hips against his hardness. 

Gilbert tore his lips from her breast, groaning loudly as she rubbed herself against him once, twice more before reaching down in between them to wrap her hand around him. She blushed at the words that left his mouth as she touched him, not used to such dirty things as she continued to stroke him. 

“S-stop.” Gilbert said after a moment, and Anne immediately took her hands off of him as if she had been burned. 

“I’m sorry, did I do something wrong?” She asked, eyebrows knitting together in concern as her beau shook his head, chest heaving. 

“I just need a second.” He said, resting his forehead against her sternum. She smiled, gently running her fingers through his hair, gently scratching his scalp. 

“Would you like to go lie down on the blanket for a little while?” She asked after a moment, and he said nothing, but nodded against her skin. She giggled, unwrapping herself from his grasp and taking his hand as she led them out of the water. She decided to not show the nerves that filled her, and instead boldly laid down on her side, pulling Gilbert to lay next to her. His hand found the curve of her waist, pulling her close to him as she settled one of her legs between his. She took advantage of the fact that his eyes were closed and snuck a peek between his legs, where his cock was still hard against his belly, twitching every so often. 

“Does it meet your expectations?” Gilbert asked, and she looked up to find him smirking at her, having caught her in her observation. She smiled playfully, reaching out to stroke his face gently. 

“I think it will be more than sufficient to meet my needs.” She teased, leaning in to kiss him slowly. They began to kiss lazily, hands gently brushing each other, skimming over the planes of each other’s bodies. Anne was about to make a move to take things deeper, but stopped when her stomach grumbled loudly. Gilbert pulled away, laughing. 

“I did promise you a picnic, did I not?” He chuckled, sitting up to dig out a few sandwiches, a lump of hard cheese, and a jar of preserved apples, swimming in thick spiced syrup. They took turns feeding each other, giving each other little bites of food in between kisses. 

“Open up,” Gilbert said, holding out a slice of apple, and Anne giggled as she leaned in, ready to receive the offering. She was so occupied with the explosion of flavors and spice that danced across her tongue as she bit into the apple that she hardly noticed the bit of syrup that had dripped off of the apple, landing on the curve of her breast. What she did notice though, was Gilbert’s tongue, running over the offended area in one clean, long stripe. His eyes were dark with passion as he looked at her as if he was about to eat her whole. 

“Lie back.” He ordered, gently pushing her to lay flat against the blanket, shoving Gilbert’s shirt under her head as a pillow. Gilbert quickly threw a leg over her body, situating himself on his knees over her. She couldn’t contain the gasp that left her lips as he leaned down onto his elbows to leave a slow, lingering kiss on her lips, pressing their bodies together from shoulder to toe as he did. She also didn’t miss the one, slow roll of his hips against her lower stomach, making her rock her hips up to try and chase his touch before he sat back on his knees with a devilish grin on his face. She watched on with curiosity as he took the jar of apples and carefully dibbled a line of syrup starting from the center of her sternum, all the way down to her navel. She chewed on her lip as Gilbert set the jar aside, looked up at her and winked before dragging his tongue through the syrup, lapping up every bit of it as he made his way up her body. Anne groaned, hands finding his hair as he peppered kisses across her sternum, paying special attention to one nipple, then the other. He pulled away from his ministrations after a moment, grabbing the jar to messily drop globs of the thick syrup all over her breasts. All sense of carefulness was gone as he set about devouring her then, leaving kisses and bite marks all over her chest as he licked her clean. She didn’t even attempt to stop the gasps and moans that slipped from her lips, eventually chanting his name over and over as she dug her fingers into his ass, squeezing the firm flesh. This must have sparked inspiration for him, because before she could even comprehend what he was doing, she had been flipped over onto her stomach and felt the warm syrup drip onto her lower back and bottom. He pushed her up so that she was on her knees, never stopping his exploration of her lower half, yet still had her face and shoulders pressed into the blanket and her makeshift pillow as she gasped and groaned into the fabric. 

Even though the afternoon had already been full of unexpected surprises, nothing could have prepared her for when Gilbert’s tongue ran over her most private area, pulling a loud moan from her lips. She looked over her shoulder to see him, eyes closed as he licked and sucked her center, looking as if he was a man stranded in the desert who had just found the most beautiful oasis. 

She had never felt anything like the sensations going through her body, like every nerve in her body was on fire. She couldn’t form words, her mind complete mush as her legs gave out underneath her, causing her to fall flat against the blanket. This did nothing to deter Gilbert, as he quickly flipped her onto her back and threw her legs over his shoulders in one swift movement as he dove back in, running a hand up her body to squeeze and knead at her breasts as she squirmed and writhed on the blanket. 

Her orgasm hit her like a train, as lights popped behind her closed eyelids, her whole body shaking uncontrollably as her thighs snapped around Gilbert’s head, keeping him in place as he worked her body through her orgasm, only stopping when she slumped bonelessly against the blanket, chest heaving. Gilbert laughed, gently kissing up her body to press a kiss to her lips before settling beside her. Anne giggled, relishing the sweet spiciness from the syrup mixed with the thick, musky taste that must have been her own that he left on her lips. 

“Wow,” She breathed, opening her eyes and letting her head loll to the side to look at him. “Where did you learn to do that?” 

Gilbert laughed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders so he could pull her in close. “A man never tells his secrets.” 

Anne rolled her eyes. She didn’t care if the Pope had made him privy to the knowledge, as long as he kept doing it frequently and with fervor. 

It took a few minutes for her to recover, but when she had, she was quick to sit herself on her knees, noting that her legs were still shaking from the earth shattering orgasm she had. She gave Gilbert a flirty smile as she reached for the jar of apples, holding it up for him to see. 

“I’d say it's your turn now.” She said playfully as she settled herself between his legs, and he sat up, caging her between his knees as he stroked a piece of hair out of her face. 

“You don’t have to do that.” He said gently, his eyes soft and loving. She always wondered how he was able to go from looking at her with fiery passion in one moment, and then in the next moment look at her so tenderly. 

“Do you not want me to?” She asked. Gilbert hesitated. 

“I just don’t want you to feel obligated.” He said, rubbing her back gently. She smiled, leaning forward to press a firm kiss to his mouth. 

“Do you really think me the kind of girl to do anything that she doesn’t wholeheartedly want to?” She asked, and he shook his head, a grin spreading across his face. 

“Lie back.” Anne whispered, using the same words he had earlier as she nudged him back. Really, she had no idea what she was about to do, but she was sure that Gilbert would let her know if she was doing some wrong. 

She started first by pouring syrup over his right thigh, running her hands over the strong muscles before slowly licking up the substance. She heard Gilbert grunt as her tongue ran over his hip bone, and she filed that reaction away for later as she repeated the process on his left thigh, going at a glacial pace, leaving her beau a trembling mess underneath her. She couldn’t help but feel a surge of power and confidence as she continued. He was putty in her hands, and part of her was certain that she could have him on his knees begging if she wanted him to, but that she would save for a later time. Now, she just wanted to make him feel as good as she had. 

After his thighs, she dropped syrup in thick pools all over his chest, taking her time licking and nipping at his skin, tracing each one of his abdominal muscles with her tongue, and she smiled when she felt the muscles flexing and tensing underneath her tongue. At some point his hands had found their way into his hair, completely ruining her bun (as if it wasn’t already destroyed beyond repair) and Anne hummed as he gently pulled on her hair, his fingers flexing against her scalp whenever she brushed something particularly sensitive. 

She pulled away from his abdomen, eyes meeting his face. His head was thrown back against the blanket, the veins in his neck thick as he clenched his jaw, eyes squeezed shut. Anne bit her lip, deciding to switch things up as she reached down and took him in her hand, giving him two firm strokes.

“Fuck!” He shouted in ecstasy, hips bucking up into her hand, and she let go with a satisfied giggle. He groaned loudly at the loss of sensation, and she went back to dribbling syrup across his lower stomach between his hip bones. She didn’t lick it up like she had been doing, but rather sucked the substance up, occasionally nipping as she went, receiving a grunt or moan as affirmation that she was doing something right. 

Finally after what felt like hours of teasing, Anne took a deep breath and adjusted herself to have her face right over his cock, straining up and flushed red. This was the part she wasn’t sure about, but she decided to just try her best, and go with her gut. With that in mind, she wrapped her hand around the base, opened her mouth wide and took as much of him in as she could. She gagged slightly as she tried to accommodate him, but what she wasn’t expecting was for Gilbert to buck up in her mouth as he writhed in pleasure, nudging the back of her throat with the head of his dick. Anne pulled off quickly with a loud gag, spit running down her chin as she took a deep breath, sitting back on her knees. 

“I am so sorry,” Gilbert said, sitting up and cupping her face in his hands. “Did I hurt you? I didn’t mean to, you don’t have to keep going, I am so sorry-” 

“Shhhh,” Anne said, stroking his hand to calm him down. “I’m fine, just surprised. Relax, my love.” 

Anne kissed him softly, pushing him back so he was laying again. She decided to start a little slower, licking her lips as she took just the tip into her mouth, running her tongue over it. She continued that for a moment before bobbing her head to take more of him in her mouth, moving up and down as she slowly took more and more of him into her mouth. Gilbert’s hands found their way into her hair again, guiding her up and down his cock as he began babbling about how much he loved her and how good she felt wrapped around him, which only encouraged Anne to keep going. 

“Anne, f-fuck, sweetheart.” Gilbert gasped, and she opened her eyes to look up at him through her eyelashes, taking in his red, sweaty face. “I-I’m not going to last much longer.” He said, his words broken up with a groan as his head tipped backwards with pleasure.

Anne continued until the last possible moment, when Gilbert used his grip on her hair to pull her off of him, taking his cock into his hand and stroking it once, twice, three times before he was coming onto their chests and stomachs. Once he had come down from his orgasm, Gilbert pulled her on top of him, not caring at all about the mess he had made between them. Anne hummed with content, pressing her ear against his chest to listen to his heartbeat. It was steady and strong, and she felt like she could spend the rest of her life exactly like that and she would be a happy woman. Unfortunately, the spell had to be broken as Gilbert sat up, gently pushing her off of him. 

“We should get cleaned up, we don’t want to be gone for too long. They might think something scandalous is afoot.” He said, offering her his hand to help her up. She giggled, taking his hand and holding onto it as they walked into the swimming hole to rinse their bodies, getting slightly distracted with helping each other get clean. They used the blanket to dry off before redressing, giving each other cheeky glances as they righted themselves and put all of their things away in the basket. 

When Gilbert dropped her off at Green Gables, he did what was proper and gave her knuckles a light kiss before wishing her a good rest of her day, winking at her as he turned and headed down the drive, unable to hide the smile on his face. 

  
  



	2. Liquid Courage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: Liquid Courage  
> Rating: T (for referenced smut, light swearing)  
> Pairing: Hensie (but mostly Gilbert and Henry being bros)  
> Summary: Henry has a favor to ask of Gilbert, one that requires a great deal of courage.(Alternate title: if you can’t get the courage yourself, store bought is fine)
> 
> The first part of this takes place during the Interlude before Henry and Josie move to Ottawa, but after the wine night and Josie and Henry’s conversation about ~kissing and touching~ The second half of the piece is post-Interlude

They were both several pints deep when Henry ordered them a round of shots, then a second round in quick succession. Gilbert gave him a curious look, knowing that Henry was never one to overindulge, but downed the dark amber liquid anyways. His nose scrunched up as the foul taste of whiskey washed over his palate, but he pushed the feeling aside in order to focus on his breathing so the whiskey he had just drank wouldn’t make a reappearance all over the table. 

“Any particular reason you’re trying to get me drunk, Henry?” Gilbert asked nonchalantly once he had gotten a hold of himself, trying to be lighthearted in his inquiry even though he was genuinely concerned at his friend’s behavior. The two of them didn’t drink often, they didn’t have the time nor the money for it, but they were only a few weeks away from parting ways, and they needed one good night of drunken debauchery before Henry and Josie left for Ottawa. 

“Yes,” Henry said with a small nod as he signalled the bartender for a third round of shots. “But I’m not drunk enough to talk about it yet. Ask me again in half an hour.” With that, he tossed back the third shot without a moment of hesitation, and when Gilbert declined the one that had been poured for him, Henry downed that one as well with little more than a grimace. Gilbert, more confused than before, simply gave his friend a look of concern and took a sip of his beer. 

As requested, a half hour passed and in that time the two of them were well and truly plastered, just as Henry had wanted. Josie was probably going to give them hell for it in the morning when they were hungover and miserable, but that was a problem they would have to face when the moment came. All Henry and Gilbert had to worry about in that moment was hearing each other over the sounds of the rowdy pub. 

“Are you drunk enough yet to tell me what the hell has gotten into you?” Gilbert asked, shouting even though he was only a foot away from his friend. Henry nodded solemnly, his cheeks flushed from the liquor and beer. 

“I need to ask a favor of you, and if you tell anyone I asked this, I am within my rights to kill you. Do you understand?” He said, leaning in more so he could hear him. Gilbert snorted, looking at the other man as if he had grown two heads. He cast a look down to his watch, noting that it was just after ten pm, much later than either of them had anticipated staying out. 

“Is this really a conversation that you want to have here?” He asked. “Why don’t we head home, and you can ask your favor on the way?” 

Henry thought for a moment and nodded, stumbling slightly as they stood up from their table, grabbing their hats and coats before making their way towards the exit. Once they were out in the cool night air, Henry shoved his hands deep into his pockets, staying mum until the duo had gotten away from the crowds. 

“Henry, are you-” Gilbert started, starting to worry about his friend’s strange behavior. Thankfully, Henry beat him to the punch and blurted out what had been weighing heavily on his mind all night. 

“I need you to tell me how to please my wife.” He said quickly, keeping his gaze straight ahead as the words rushed out of his mouth. His already flushed cheeks grew a darker shade of red once he had spoken, and part of Gilbert wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. 

“I beg your pardon?” He asked in disbelief, raising an eyebrow at the other man. Henry took a deep breath, looking as if he wanted to be buried alive for asking such a thing. 

“Please don’t make me say it again.” He said with a heavy sigh, looking slightly helpless. “Nothing’s occurred just yet, but I have reason to believe that Josie is warming up to the idea of us... _ knowing  _ each other, you know… in an  _ intimate _ -” 

“For Christ’s sake, Henry, don’t hurt yourself. I understand what you’re asking.” Gilbert said with a snort, putting his blabbering friend out of his misery. He knew good and well that Henry and Josie had been growing closer as a couple, both emotionally and physically, and while he was happy for his friend, he also loathed how often he walked into the living room only to find the young couple kissing each other like it was going out of style. 

“It’s just… I don’t want to make a fool of myself when the time comes. I can’t be a clueless brute with her, not after everything she’s been through. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I did anything wrong.” Henry said with a loud, helpless sort of sigh, stumbling slightly as he shoved his hands in his pockets. 

Gilbert nodded in understanding, feeling sympathetic for his friend and his complicated relationship with his wife. He also fully understood why Henry had needed to be so inebriated to ask such a thing, it was no secret that they were both modest (though their wives would call them prudes) and preferred to keep matters of the bedroom private (and to their endless torture, their wives were insufferable gossips on the issue.) Gilbert was certain that Henry never would have asked such a question sober, and Gilbert wouldn’t have answered it either. It had taken him a great deal of courage, liquid or otherwise, to reach out for advice and Gilbert knew that he had to honor that courage by helping his friend as best he could. 

Gilbert cleared his throat, still slightly embarrassed by the question, but too intoxicated to shut down the conversation. “What do you know?” 

“I know what goes where, but that is the extent of my knowledge.” He said, still keeping his gaze straight ahead and his voice level, his flushed face the only thing giving away his embarrassment, though he easily could have blamed it on the liquor. “I always assumed that my father would have a conversation with me before I got married to fill me in on the finer details of the subject, but due to the circumstances… I suppose he assumed that I already knew what to do.” 

Gilbert nodded, his mind fuzzy from the alcohol as he tried to gather his thoughts. He couldn’t leave Henry out to dry, he had no other choice but to help him, but that didn’t mean he was going to be as crude as the men who worked on the _Primrose_ to do it. Those men wouldn’t know how to put something delicately if it bit them in the rear end. 

“Alright,” Gilbert said after a while. “Well do you need to know the mechanics of it, or the things that would make your mother blush?” 

Henry groaned, scrubbing a hand down his face in mortification. “I need more alcohol.” 

* * *

“My  _ word _ .” Josie gasped breathlessly, her words muffled from the pillow that her face was still currently pressed into. Henry chuckled proudly at her speechlessness and pressed one last lingering kiss to her shoulder before he moved from where he had been crowded over her to settle down beside her on their mattress. He couldn’t keep the satisfied smirk off of his face as he watched her struggle to string a complete thought together, crossing his arms behind his head smugly as he settled back against the plush pillows. 

“Are you alright, mouse?” He asked, knowing that if she were slightly more coherent, that he would probably whacked for his teasing tone. But she wasn’t, and he was going to enjoy every pride-filled moment of his wife’s pleasure-addled state. 

It took her another minute before she was able to gather the strength to lift her head, all of her limbs heavy and her mind still foggy after the bliss she had experienced. Her hair was an absolute disaster, tangled helplessly around her face, but she couldn’t have cared less about it as she gave her husband a disbelieving look. “How in the world did you know how to do that?” 

“Do what, exactly?” Henry asked, looking like a cat who got the cream. “I don’t recall the process being any different than normal.” 

Josie gave him a withering look at his cheeky comment- he knew exactly what she was referring to- but instead of calling his bluff she simply rolled her eyes at him and shifted over so that her head rested against his bare chest, cuddling into his side. One of the arms that had been tucked behind his head came down to rest on her back when she settled into her new position, and Henry was more than happy to begin lazily working the knots out of her hair with his fingers, marvelling at the way her hair shone in the moonlight. 

Neither of them had any way of knowing how long they laid like that, it could have been five minutes or five hours, but regardless they were not in any rush for the drawn out moment to end. They were surrounded by a sleepy, peaceful sort of silence, one that very easily could have stayed with them until they inevitably drifted off to sleep. Truthfully, Henry almost had fallen asleep like that, fingers tangled in her hair and her head pressed against his chest, right over his heart that beat only for her. 

“Henry?” Josie said quietly, her soft voice pulling him back from the cusp of unconsciousness. He hummed softly in reply, too tired to actually respond. Luckily, Josie understood that she had his attention and pressed herself more snugly against him, pressing her lips to his chest for a brief moment before she spoke. “Whatever it is that you did tonight, and regardless of where you learned such information, I’d very much like it if you did it again.” 

Henry chuckled softly, another surge of pride filling him at her words. Her request was most definitely one that he would happily oblige her in. He didn’t bother opening his eyes as he tilted his head down to brush a kiss against her forehead, squeezing her hip softly before he responded. 

“Yes ma’am, Mrs. Tremblay. I’ll certainly do my best.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To explain the ending I would like to borrow the words of 2 Live Crew: “Face down, ass up, that’s the way they like to fuck”
> 
> Also, if there’s anything specific anyone would like to see for anything within the CTWIN universe, I’m willing to take prompts/ideas. I’m not promising that I’ll write every request/prompt or that I’ll write it right away (I have a list already of things I want to write so it’ll probably be added to the list), or I might take something and use it as inspiration, but I thought I would open up the board for prompts!


	3. A Conversation That Is Best Forgotten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: A Conversation That Is Best Forgotten   
> Rating: T (light swearing, drinking alcohol, mentions of sex)   
> Pairing: Gilbert and Bash being bros   
> Summary: After the near disastrous afternoon at Green Gables, Gilbert seeks out Bash for advice (with their trusty bottle of rum)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place immediately after ch. 25 of (You Get My) Soul Right, when Anne and Gilbert were alone at Green Gables and almost ~did it~ and our poor little Gilby Goo is panicking. Enjoy! (Also shout out to those who egged me on to write this, you know who you are lol)

When business had been taken care of and he could actually think clearly about the afternoon, Gilbert realized just how disastrous the afternoon could have been. With a renewed sense of panic and a need to get his swirling thoughts out of his head, he made his way to the kitchen and grabbed the rum from the cabinet before making his way to the orchard where Bash was. 

When he found the older man he pulled the cork from the bottle with little preamble, shoving it into the man’s hand before blurting out, “I almost gave Delphine a cousin an hour ago.” 

He should have anticipated the smack to the head Bash gave him the second the words left his mouth, but the strike still had him reeling. He blinked once, then twice before he looked back to Bash, finding him taking a healthy chug from the bottle of rum. 

“What the hell is wrong with you, boy?” He exclaimed after swallowing, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Coming out here and telling me such things like you’re talking about the weather!” 

“I’m panicking, Bash! It wasn’t exactly like I was planning on doing it!” He cried, pulling the bottle from his brother’s hand to take a long swig of his own. Bash groaned, sinking down against a tree, gesturing for Gilbert to do the same. 

“I don’t want to know details, but at least tell me how much of a risk you took. Do I have to anticipate becoming an uncle sometime next year or did you have some common sense?” Bash asked, sounding like he would rather put his hand on a hot stove than talk with Gilbert about his sex life. Gilbert blushed, taking another drink from the bottle before coughing awkwardly. 

“There was no…” He stopped, not wanting to say it out loud, and instead did the same hand motion he had shown Anne earlier in the afternoon. Bash nodded slowly, cringing slightly at the depiction as Gilbert continued. “...but it was very close, I was... knocking at the door, so to speak.” 

Bash groaned, hiding his head in his hands for a moment before extending one hand out to him, and Gilbert placed the bottle in his hand. At this rate, they would finish the rum and have to ask Elijah to make them some moonshine to get them through their more embarrassing conversations. Gilbert supposed it would be worth it, seeing as how fast they were going through the rum. 

“And then I’m assuming Anne stopped that foolishness?” Bash asked, taking a drink from the bottle, and Gilbert chuckled, shaking his head. 

“Actually no. Truthfully I was surprised it went as far as it did, I thought she would say no. She had been adamantly opposed to having intercourse for most of our relationship so when she agreed I kind of...” He sighed, and Bash shook his head. 

“You weren’t thinking.” He supplied, and Gilbert nodded. 

“And even when I told her why I stopped, she still didn’t understand.” He sighed, his head feeling only slightly heavier as the rum worked its way through his system. “When I gently reminded her that intercourse leads to children she said ‘I thought you would pull away!’ Can you believe it Bash? It’s like she loves the idea of flirting with danger.” 

Bash burst into laughter then, pressing the bottle of rum into Gilbert’s hands so he could slap his knee, head thrown back as he rioted over Gilbert’s unfortunate afternoon. 

“That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard!” He hooted, a tear rolling down his face that he quickly wiped away, still chuckling all the while. 

“And what’s so funny about that?” Gilbert huffed, taking a large swig from the bottle. They were both well on their way to being drunk, but he couldn’t find it in himself to stop. 

“That Anne thinks you’d be able to pull out in time.” Bash said, the words sending him into another fit of laughter. Gilbert scowled, shoving Bash sideways so that he tipped into the dirt. 

“I have some self-control, and I’m not a stranger to what it feels like, I know when I’m about to lose it.” He huffed, looking down at where his brother was clutching his sides. 

“You think you know what you’re in for,” Bash said through his laughter, pointing up at Gilbert. “But I’m telling you right now, you’re going to make a fool of yourself the first time and you just have to accept that.” 

“Shut your trap.” Gilbert snapped, taking another drink. “You make it sound like I’m going to disappoint Anne.” 

“You probably will.” Bash said with a shrug, pushing himself up and taking the bottle back to take a drink for himself. “Lord knows I disappointed Mary.” 

“Really?” Gilbert said, raising an eyebrow at him. The two men by principle did not make a habit of talking about their individual sex lives together, being much too modest and respectful of the women in their lives, but Gilbert knew the rum was loosening their lips and allowing for them to broach topics they wouldn’t have sober. 

Bash nodded, a sentimental look on his face as he thought back on the memory. 

“When you’re in love with a woman and you have her the way you’ve wanted her for so long, you lose your head without realizing it.” He said with a shrug, swaying slightly as he jabbed a finger in his chest. “But always be a man, and when you embarrass yourself, make it up to your lady.” 

Gilbert laughed then, throwing his head back. 

“You have nothing to worry about there, my friend. I am nothing if not generous with my affections.” He said, elbowing Bash lightly. The older man made a face as if he smelled something bad. 

“Stop right there, I don’t want to know anything else.” He said, and Gilbert could only laugh as they passed the bottle back and forth a few more times. The moment of levity was refreshing, but Gilbert’s mind quickly fell right back to where he had been when he had first sought out Bash. 

“It’s frightening,” He said, eyebrow knitting together as he tried to understand how he had gotten so out of control. “How one moment I was completely in control, and the next I was going off of what felt right in the moment, rather than what was rational.” 

“You’re a man that’s in love, you want to love your woman, to be close to her in that way and you’ll do just about anything to get there.” Bash said with a nod of understanding, passing the bottle back to him. 

“It was almost impossible to stop.” He said with a frown. “And part of me wishes I hadn’t, to be honest with you. Even when I was panicking and knowing that it was a horrible choice, there was another part of me that wanted to ignore reason and have my way with her, consequences be damned.” 

Bash chuckled. “I’m proud of you for stopping, but I understand what you’re saying. It’s not easy, but do you know what will be even more difficult for you to do?” 

Gilbert raised an eyebrow up at him warily, hoping he wouldn’t make some sort of scathing joke. To his surprise, Bash’s face was genuine as he reached out to pat his shoulder. 

“If you follow through, telling yourself that you’ll only do it once and then wait until you’re married to do it again, I’ll promise you now that you’ll fail. You might get lucky the first time and nothing will come of it, but if you keep testing fate, you’ll find yourself in hot water. So don’t let yourself give in, not even once, do you understand me? You’re the man in the relationship Gilbert, the responsibility falls on your shoulders, and you can’t let yourself slip up. Don’t disgrace Anne, yourself, or this family by convincing yourself that you can get away with it. Alright?” 

Gilbert nodded, the heavy words sinking into his alcohol-addled mind, sobering him just slightly. 

“Alright.” He said firmly, and Bash gave him another good clap on the shoulder. 

“Good, now let’s sit here and finish this rum so we can forget this conversation ever happened.” He said, holding up the bottle, sloshing around the remaining contents. Gilbert laughed, nodding in agreement. 

“Sounds like a splendid plan to me.” 

(and if Hazel gives them the lashing of a lifetime when she comes into the house a while later to find her sons sitting on the kitchen floor, giggling and deliriously drunk at three in afternoon as they polish off the loaf of bread she had made that morning, well, they don’t have to remember that, either.) 


	4. A Task of Great Importance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: A Task of Great Importance  
> Rating: G (a few suggestive comments at the end- basically Henry being horny for his wife)   
> Pairing: Hensie   
> Summary: When Josie goes out on an errand for the evening, Henry is left to man the fort and get the children washed and in bed. Naturally, nothing goes as planned. 
> 
> This takes place about a year after the main events of Build Your Home in My Heart

“Alright, gentleman. We face a task of great importance tonight, are you ready to receive your mission?” Henry said sternly, looking down at the lineup that stood in front of him. 

“Papa,” Sam said, his eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. “What’s a mission?” 

Will nodded in agreement, his confusion also evident on his face. Henry sighed, taking in the sight of his sons in front of him by the bathtub, which was steaming and ready for the little boys to be bathed before bed. Usually Josie would be there to help, but she had run off to the big house for the evening to help his mother finish a gown, leaving him alone to get the four boys bathed and ready for bed on his own. He certainly had framed the situation like it was an undertaking the five of them were about to endure, but he knew that he was in for a very interesting time- and that he would be alone through it all. 

“It’s something very important that needs to be done. Tonight, our mission is to have you four bathed before your mother gets home.” Henry settled on after a moment, watching as Sam thought over the answer he had been supplied with. Seemingly satisfied, he nodded happily and stood at attention, and Henry had to hide a chuckle when Will followed suit next to him. 

With his oldest two in agreement, and knowing that their compliance was half the battle, Henry set to work getting the boys undressed and ready to bathe. The task was nearly completed when Sam tugged on his sleeve, pulling his attention away from where he had been helping Thomas out of his trousers. 

“Papa,” He asked in the sweetly innocent voice that made his heart melt in his chest. “Can Will and I go jump in the puddles before we get in the bath?” 

Henry chuckled at the request, glancing over his son’s shoulder to look outside. They had been stuck in a torrential downpour for a majority of the day, and thankfully the rain had let up sometime before supper, leaving the world outside a damp, muddy mess. Never one to say no without reason, Henry thought through the proposition. The boys were already naked as the day they were born, so there was no risk of them ruining their clothes and he could easily douse them with clean water from the pump outside before letting them back in the house. No mess, no ruined clothes, and happy sons to show for it. Surely they could have a few minutes of fun and still be in bed by the time Josie returned. 

“Alright, but only for a minute.” He said with a nod, and with permission granted Sam and Will took off like a shot, sprinting out of the house and into the massive puddle right outside their front door. Thomas was eager to follow, but his attempt was quickly thwarted when he tripped on his pants that were still around his ankles. Henry winced watching him fall, but it seemed that Thomas was made out of steel and popped back up without so much as a whimper, kicking off his trousers and drawers before he was running out of the house after his older brothers. Henry just chuckled, looking down to where Chip was sitting on the floor, looking up at him with wide, blue eyes. 

“I suppose you want in on the action as well, don’t you?” He asked, and with a bright smile as his response Henry scooped up his youngest son, making his way to the porch. Sam, Will and Thomas were already covered head to toe in mud when he arrived, wrestling and throwing mud at each other while they shrieked with laughter. Henry simply rolled his eyes at the mischief and kicked off his shoes, setting Chip down so he could take off his socks and roll up his pants so he could take Chip out to join them. He was nearly done when Will perked up, eyes wide with a brilliant idea. 

“Papa, come play with us!” He shouted, Sam and Thomas joining him a moment later, their enthusiasm nearly earsplitting. 

He could have said no. Two letters and a firm tone was all he needed to end the nonsense, but he had never had the willpower to say it to his kids, especially when it came to harmless fun. Besides, he needed a bath as well. What harm would it be to join in on the chaos? 

The boy’s raucous cheers only grew louder when he began stripping out of his clothes, leaving only his drawers just in case anyone stumbled upon the scene. Once his clothes were safely out of the way he picked Chip back up and joined the other boys, setting Chip on his feet to take a few clumsy steps on the uneven ground before promptly falling face first into the mud. After a quick inspection to ensure that he had not eaten any dirt, Chip was back on his feet and chasing Thomas around in circles, which left Henry open to an attack that he should have had the foresight to see coming. Unfortunately, he had forgotten for a moment that Sam and Will were hellions, and the second he had finished wiping Chip's face off he had been met with fistfuls of mud being thrown at him. It splattered across his chest, marring his pale skin with splotches of brown and black. His gaze slowly rose from his chest to the two mischievous boys that were giggling in front of him, and for a split second it seemed that they were afraid that he would be angry with them for their little assault, but their worries were placated a moment later when a grin broke out across his face. 

“I’m going to get you two.” He said with a laugh and the shake of his head, and with those six words the chase was on, and Sam and Will darted off in separate directions. After a few minutes of chasing, a lot of laughter, and one or two tumbles into mud puddles after slipping on wet grass, it was safe to say that all five Tremblay men were thoroughly covered in mud, and very unaware of their matriarch’s imminent arrival. 

* * *

Josie should have known better than to think Henry could have bathed all of the boys by himself. When they first started having children, she thought that Henry would be the stern parent, the one to keep order and ensure that nothing in their home was broken or destroyed. In a puzzling twist of fate, it turned out to be quite the opposite. Perhaps it was because they were incapable of having anything but boys, and little boys had the keen ability to wreak havoc no matter what they were doing, but it seemed like whenever Josie wasn’t around to keep the peace, she ended up with five little boys in her house rather than four. 

So really, she shouldn’t have been surprised to come home and find Sam, Will, Thomas, Chip  _ and  _ Henry covered head to toe in mud, but that still didn’t keep her from stopping in her tracks as she approached the house, mind reeling at how her simple instructions to bathe had turned into something that was quite the opposite. 

“What on earth are you boys doing?” She asked, setting her hands on her hips to give off the impression of being stern as all of them stopped, turning to her with wide eyes. 

“Playing?” Came Henry’s response, his voice tight and hesitant, carefully waiting on Josie’s response to know if he needed to start running away or not. Thankfully, his reply was only answered by a snort, followed by an eye-roll, and was ended with a muttered comment of ‘ _ you’ve lost your mind if you think any of you are coming into my house like that’ _ as Josie marched towards the house. 

Henry and the boys stood still as statues for a few moments after the door closed behind her, and when Henry looked down he found the three older boys looking up at him with wide eyes, as if waiting to follow his lead. Chip, still too young to understand his mother, was still playing happily in the mud. Henry wished he could get off so easily as the baby, but he knew that he was at the mercy of his wife and her potentially sour mood. 

“Alright, the fun is over, I’m afraid.” Henry said with a nod, wondering how fast he could have them rinsed off and in the bathtub. “To the water pump, gentlemen.” 

With nods of understanding the three older boys began their march across the yard, and Henry followed shortly after, Chip in his arms. They had only made it a few feet when they were stopped by the front door blowing open, followed by Josie tearing out of the house. She was barefoot and dressed in nothing but her underthings, her hair down and shining in the late evening sun as she ran past them and dove head first into the mud they had just been playing in with a loud whoop, sliding across the grass as she giggled like a madwoman. Henry could only stand in shock at the sight of her damp and covered in mud, setting Chip down after a moment when he wiggled in his arms so he could join his brothers in sprinting to where she was sitting. 

“What are you doing over there, Papa Bear?” Josie called, breaking him out of his stupor. He shook his head at his absolutely maddening wife, jogging over to where she was so that he could gently tackle her back into the mud, pulling a shriek from her as he pinned her down. 

“You’re ridiculous.” He laughed, reaching up to stroke her cheek with his thumb, leaving a streak of mud on the pale skin in its wake. Josie giggled, her eyes shining up at him. 

“I think you mean I know how to pick my battles,” She replied, leaning upwards to press a kiss to his lips before he relinquished his hold on her. She sat up, her hair sticking out in a million different directions as she pulled Chip into her lap. “Plus, I couldn’t let you five have all of the fun, now could I?” 

“The bathwater is probably going to be cold.” Henry said with a lopsided grin, flicking a piece of mud her way. 

“Most definitely,” Josie said with a laugh, “And we’ll probably never be clean again.” 

Henry just shook his head, leaning in to steal another kiss, pulling away just in time for them to witness Sam barrelling into Will from behind, knocking them both into a heap in the mud.

“ _ Oof,”  _ Henry and Josie said at the same time, cringing at the hard fall and the tangle of arms and legs. They paused, waiting to make sure their second oldest was alright, but when he popped up with two handfuls of mud to smush in Sam’s hair, they knew he was right as rain. 

“My plan was to douse them with water from the pump, scrub them as well as I could and send them off to bed. I’m sure the minister won’t notice if there’s a little dirt behind their ears in church tomorrow.” Henry admitted with a grin, and Josie rolled her eyes, letting Chip out of her arms as he toddled off to join the three older boy’s game of chase. 

“Alright then, what about us? Are we going to bathe in the pump as well?” She asked, raising an eyebrow at him. He shook his head at her, his eyes taking on a familiar glint that she knew only meant trouble as he tugged her into his lap. 

“No, because while I put the boys to bed, you’ll heat up the bath water again. Then I’ll come downstairs and ensure that you’re sparkling by the end of it all. I’ll be very, very thorough.” He said, pressing a kiss to the skin below her ear. Josie hummed incredulously, yet she was unwilling to move away as he kissed once or twice more down her neck, keeping an eye on the boys to make sure they were keeping themselves occupied. 

“Why do I feel like when you say you’ll be  _ very very thorough  _ that you really mean I’ll end up  _ very, very  _ pregnant?” 

Henry shrugged, a devilish grin on his face. “You very well might, but that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.” 

“You’re incorrigible, Henry Tremblay. Is this your way of telling me you would like to start trying for another?” Josie asked, looking up at him with an amused expression on her face. 

“I know you said you wanted to wait for a spell after Chip was born, and I’m willing to wait as long as you want, but I think now is a fine time to start trying again. Why not add to the madness, Mother Mouse?” He replied with a chuckle, giving her a lopsided grin that made her stomach flip. 

Josie bit down on her bottom lip, trying and miserably failing to hold back a smile as her cheeks went warm at the thought of adding to their family. Truthfully, she had been toying with the idea of having another baby as well, and she was thankful that Henry had brought it up. Not that she would give him the satisfaction of knowing that, of course. 

“Well, I suppose there’s no harm in letting you try your best.” She said playfully, letting her teasing smile spread fully across her face. Henry threw his head back and laughed, pulling her tight against his chest to nuzzle into her neck, and she relished the feeling of his warm skin pressed against hers as he pressed a kiss to the skin right below her ear. 

“I’ve already given you four sons, Mrs. Tremblay, it seems I don’t have to try very hard at all.” He said, dropping his voice down an octave into something that crossed the line from one sort of teasing to another. Josie blushed, pinching his arm lightly as she fought to ignore how warm she suddenly felt. 

“Goodness gracious, Mr. Tremblay, can you at least wait until our children are in bed before you start that kind of talk?” She admonished, shoving him slightly in a vain attempt to hide how frazzled she had gotten. Henry chuckled, knowing good and well what he had done. He didn’t comment on that though, instead he kissed her cheek quickly before he nudged her out of his lap. 

“I can arrange that, darling. Why don’t you go do your task while I do mine?” He said, shooting her a wink as he stood up from the ground, calling out to the boys that it was time to get washed up before bed. Josie giggled as he went, shamelessly ogling the way his drawers clung to his thighs in the most delicious way for a moment before she peeled herself off of the ground to go begin the process of reheating the bathwater. 

It didn’t matter if she was admiring the view anyways, because Henry was doing the same thing a moment later when she stripped out of her muddy underclothes on the porch, sending a wink in his direction as she slipped into the house wearing nothing but a smile. Henry bit down on his cheek, clearing his throat as he turned his attention back to his four rambunctious sons, wondering just how fast he could get them washed and in bed. 

“Alright boys, hurry up now, it’s getting close to bedtime. We can’t have you grumpy for church tomorrow, now can we?” 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, this is my favorite bonus scene that I've written thus far, so I hope y'all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!


	5. Blissful Mornings (and Poorly Timed Intrusions)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: Blissful Mornings (and Poorly Timed Intrusions)   
> Rating: M (this is basically all smut, oopsie)  
> Pairing: Hensie  
> Summary: The morning after Henry and Josie return from visiting Anne and Gilbert, they take time to celebrate the newest step in their relationship.

Josie woke up feeling warm and content, naked as the day she was born and wrapped up in her lover’s arms. She sighed happily, stretching as much as she could with being restricted by Henry’s grip on her. He stirred awake behind her at her movements, yawning loudly before nuzzling into the crook of her neck, peppering the skin with kisses. 

“Good morning,” Henry said, his voice rough with sleep and muffled against her skin. She giggled quietly, rolling over to face him and give him a long, slow kiss. He sighed contently into her mouth, cupping her jaw gently with one hand while the other slid down to grab at her backside. She hummed quietly at the touch, draping a leg over his to pull them closer together. 

“Someone’s eager this morning, aren’t we?” She commented with a smug grin as their hips met and his hard length brushed against her thigh. Henry chuckled, pinching her bottom lightly. 

“I’ve tasted paradise, little mouse, and will gladly taste it again and again whenever you let me.” He said unashamedly, and Josie rolled her eyes. She had created a monster, yet she didn’t feel bad about it one bit. 

“Tasted? I don’t remember there being any tasting.” Josie teased, only to blush at her forwardness as Henry pulled away from her neck, his eyebrows raised in surprise. 

Anne and her had talked about that particular realm of intimacy before, and frankly, Josie thought it was strange. Why would anyone want to put their mouth  _ there _ ? It was dirty and unmentionable, yet Anne made it seem like something that was fun for both parties, in both the receiving  _ and  _ the giving. She thought about Henry and what lie between his legs, did she want to put her mouth on him? Did  _ he  _ want her to put her mouth on him? She wouldn’t deny that her husband was well endowed, which raised the question of if she could even fit him into her mouth at all. 

“Josie, would you like for me to do that?” Henry asked, pulling her from her spiral, her eyes wide with uncertainty. She wrinkled her nose, unsure of the answer. If it was supposed to feel good, she wanted to experience it... but then on the other hand, that required Henry putting his mouth  _ there _ . 

“What if it tastes foul?” She said, her lingering sleepiness making her much more blunt than she normally would have been. Henry snorted, leaning in to kiss her temple before getting out of bed, pulling out a washcloth and wetting it with water from the pitcher in the corner. She looked at him unashamedly as he did so, taking in his strong thighs, shapely backside, and broad shoulders. Her heart fluttered at the sight of him, naked and completely unashamed of it. 

Goodness gracious, her husband was a sight to behold. 

She didn’t stop her admiring when he turned around, her eyes trailing down his muscular arms, over the dusting of hair on his chest, down the trail of hair below his belly button, stopping and setting her gaze between his legs where he was hard, the corner of her mouth quirking upward at the sight of him eager for her first thing in the morning. 

“See something you like?” He asked with a chuckle, sitting down on her side of the bed, pulling the quilt down to uncover her body. She shivered in the cool morning air, giggling quietly as she sat up, coming face to face with him. 

“Yes,” She said, boldly reaching in between his legs to take him in hand. “Very much so.” 

His eyes fluttered shut as she stroked him, his breath coming out in gasped moans as a content smile graced his face. She hummed, scooting closer to him to pepper his neck with kisses as she continued her motions. 

“You’re distracting me, you naughty little mouse.” Henry said after a minute, opening his eyes to give her a mischievous look. She giggled as he pulled her hand away from him, pushing her back lightly until she was lying on the bed. She raised an eyebrow up at him in curiosity as he took the damp rag and set about cleaning between her legs, making her blush furiously. 

“Henry-” She started bashfully, her face burning red. 

“Do you not want me to?” He asked, stopping his work as he looked up at her with concern in his eyes. 

Wasn’t that the question of the hour? She wasn’t sure if she wanted him to or not, and if he did do such a thing, would she even want to reciprocate? She had no doubt in her mind that Henry wouldn’t even mention it unless she showed interest in it, but another cursory glance between his legs sent another round of doubt through her. She just wasn’t sure what she wanted. 

But then she thought about what Anne had told her, about how it was a magical feeling much better than fingers, and she did enjoy when Henry used his hands on her… 

Still, as tempting of an idea as it was, she wasn’t sure how she felt about the whole affair and the thought of him putting his mouth on her made her stomach twist in a way that made her feel more apprehensive than excited, so with a heavy inhale she shook her head. 

“No, I don’t think I’m ready for that just yet.” She said, and Henry smiled brightly despite her refusal, tossing the washcloth onto the floor to deal with later. 

“That’s just fine, little mouse. There’s still a great deal of things we can do instead.” He said, kissing her on the mouth quickly before he dropped his head to her breast, taking a nipple into his mouth, nipping at it gently. She gasped, tangling her fingers in his hair as the familiar fire began sparking low in her belly. He was grinning when he lifted his head to switch to the other side, pressing a kiss to the center of her sternum before taking her other nipple in his mouth. She hummed happily at the touch, gasping quietly when his fingertips landed on her stomach and dragged downwards, featherlight over her skin. She let her thighs fall open, spreading her legs for him to leave teasing, lingering touches on the inside of her thighs, purposefully staying away from where she wanted him most. 

“Please, Henry-” She whined, pressing her hips upwards to try and force his hand. He lifted his head from where he had been lavishing her breasts and leaving quite an impressive love bite, only to wink at her and drag his fingers over her center, making her cry out at the touch. 

“You’re so beautiful, Jo.” He murmured, setting his sights on her neck as he worked his fingers in and out of her at an achingly slow speed, leaving a trail of kisses on the column of her throat as he stoked the fire that he had started within her so that it grew bigger and bigger. “ I love you so much, pretty girl.” 

Josie bit down on her lip to hold back what was sure to be an embarrassingly loud moan, dragging her fingernails down Henry’s back, drawing a soft grunt from him that made her stomach flip. Though she often felt like she was a fumbling mess when it came to intimacy with her husband, every moan, grunt, and sigh that she was able to draw from his lips was enough to give her confidence that she wasn’t completely messing everything up. If anything, it gave her pleasure knowing that she made him feel good- and while she had not been able to reach the peak of ecstasy the night before when they had been intimate for the very first time, being able to look down and see his face completely lost in bliss was pleasurable enough for her to be content even without an orgasm. (That wasn’t to say that they weren’t nice- but she knew realistically that they weren’t going to happen every time, and that was just fine with her. She was never left unsatisfied.) 

“H-Henry,” She gasped after a while of teasing touches and heated kisses, winding her fingers in his hair. She used her grip to pull his head away from where he had returned to her breasts, making her look up at him. “I would very much like you inside of me right now.” 

He groaned quietly, turning his head to leave a sloppy kiss right above her nipple before rolling on his back to settle beside her, hauling her onto his lap before leaning in to kiss her softly. 

“I love you, Jo.” He whispered against her lips, his kiss simmering with passion as she shifted in his lap, pulling a quiet moan from him as she rolled her hips against his. She smiled with pride for eliciting such a reaction from him and rocked her hips again as she felt around blindly for the tin of vaseline that they had stashed away in their bedside drawer. Though it had initially been mortifying for Ida to suggest such a thing, she found herself very thankful for her sister in law’s insight and advice. It certainly had helped things move along the night before, and she wasn’t about to attempt to do it again without it. 

“I love you too, big bear.” She said, popping open the tin to get a generous scoop of vaseline before reaching between them to spread it over his length. He groaned into the kiss at her touch, and then even louder when she sank down on him. His hands fell to her hips then, squeezing firmly as she stopped for a moment, the stretch still foreign and slightly overwhelming. 

“Are you alright?” He asked, lifting his head from where it had fallen to rest against her shoulder. She nodded, shifting her hips down a fraction more. 

“I’m fine, just still not used to this.” She said, pressing a kiss to his forehead first, then his lips before he laid back against the pillows. 

“There’s no rush, little mouse, take as long as you need.” He said, already panting. He waited patiently for her to move, his hands moving to her breasts to squeeze them gently as she pressed her hips down, letting him slip inside of her just a little bit more. She looked down in between them then, glancing in between her bodies to where they were connected as she brought her hips down ever so slightly more, taking him inside of her as he groaned, his hips rolling up slightly. 

He let her set the pace, hands on her hips as she moved over him in a slow push and pull. They found an easy rhythm after a few moments, their hips rocking together lazily as the morning sunlight filtered in through the window. Josie hummed, feeling content as she leaned down to lay her head on his chest, listening to his heart pound at a steady rate as the uncomfortable burn faded away into the overwhelming pressure of him moving inside of her. She gasped when his hips hiccuped into hers, feeling him press against parts of her she didn’t know existed. 

“‘M sorry,” Henry said, words slurring as his fingers flexed into the skin of her hips. 

“You’re alright, big bear. I wasn’t hurt, just surprised.” She reassured him, pressing a kiss over his heart. He nodded, kissing the crown of her head as one of his hands fell to her rear, squeezing it affectionately as he helped guide her up and down over him.

The two were so caught up in their slow, early morning love making that they didn’t hear the footsteps pattering down the hallway until it was too late and their door was being thrown open, chased by the quiet chastisement of, “Don’t you dare go into their room, Ethel Marie!” 

It was too late of course, and the two couldn’t even comprehend that the door had been opened, let alone reach for something to cover themselves, before Ethel was standing in the doorway with a wide smile on her face. Henry sat up quickly to look over Josie’s shoulder at the intruder, while she yelped in surprise at the sudden change of position, clutching onto his shoulders as her head whipped around as well. Ethel’s excitement quickly turned to confusion as the couple froze, eyes wide and hearts pounding with panic.

“What are you two doing?” Ethel asked, face screwed up in befuddlement. 

“Get out!” Henry shouted, finally coming to his senses. He reached blindly for a pillow to chuck at his youngest sister, only for it to sail over her head and whack his mother as she joined her youngest child in the doorway, her jaw dropping at the compromising position they had been caught in. 

“Oh!” She gasped, completely scandalized- her face turning a bright shade of red. She quickly slapped a hand over Ethel’s eyes, her own gaze going to the ceiling as she backed the two of them up, her free hand searching frantically for the doorknob. 

The door slammed with a loud  _ bang!  _ that echoed through the house, and Henry groaned in frustration as his mother called through the door a moment later, her voice an octave higher than normal. 

“We’re glad you arrived back safely! We’re having breakfast at the big house in a half hour if you two would like to join us!” She said quickly before footsteps rapidly receded down the hallway, and Josie bit down on her lip to keep herself from shouting something unladylike in front of her mother-in-law. 

Unfortunately, she wasn’t going to be making it to breakfast. She was going to be far too busy packing up her things so she could move far, far away from her sister and mother-in-law who had just witnessed her making love to their brother/son. 

“Damn it,” Henry swore, burying his face into the space between her neck and shoulder as he fell backwards against the pillows, bringing her down with him. “That was downright mortifying. I’m never going to be able to look at my mother ever again, not after she’s seen us like this.” 

“I agree with you.” Josie said, her face burning and her voice muffled by the skin of his chest. “Poor Ethel’s going to have a lot of questions.” 

“Poor Ethel?!” Henry exclaimed, letting his head fall back against the pillows so that he could look up at the ceiling with a shockingly red face. “Had they walked in about five seconds later than they did, my  _ mother  _ would know what I look like in the throes of passion, and you’re saying  _ poor Ethel?!”  _

“Oh you poor thing,” Josie snorted, rolling off of him to lay beside him on the bed, pulling the quilt up over them. “Were you really that close?” 

Henry huffed, nodding as he moodily crossed his arms over his chest. “Yes I was, though it’ll probably never happen again out of pure fear of being walked in on. We need a damn lock for the door.” 

“Which one? The front door, or our bedroom?” She asked, her face still burning with embarrassment. She knew that there were many other positions they could have been caught in that would have been much worse than what Lillian and Ethel had seen, but they had also gotten a very good view of Henry with a handful of her ass, and that alone was mortifying. While Ethel was surely oblivious as to what they were doing, there was no doubt that Lillian knew exactly what she had walked in on. Her mother-in-law had seen them having sex, and all parties involved were likely never going to recover from the embarrassment. 

“Both.” He answered after a moment, and Josie couldn’t help the bark of laughter that escaped her. 

“We could be on a train to Saskatckewan in an hour, if we’re fast.” She snorted, and Henry just groaned, hiding his face in his hands as another wave of embarrassment washed over him. 

As much as the two of them didn’t want to face his family, they had no food in the house for breakfast and facing his family was inevitable. After a few more minutes of grovelling the couple peeled themselves out of bed and dressed quickly before dragging their feet all the way to the big house. They refused to look anyone in the eye as they entered the dining room, keeping their gaze locked on the table as Samuel said the blessing over the food before they tucked in. 

It was painfully awkward, and only after a few minutes of terse silence did Henry clear his throat, forcing his eyes upwards to his family. 

“From now on, you all will be knocking politely on the door and waiting until it is answered by Josie or I. And if we do not answer it, then you will leave and find us later. It is disrespectful to both of us for you all to burst in unannounced all the time, and I will not stand for it anymore.” He said firmly, ignoring the heat in his cheeks as he made eye contact with his mother, only for both of them to look away just as quickly as it had been made. 

“That sounds fair, son. I apologize on all of our behalfs for our lack of courtesy thus far.” Samuel said, his face as impassive as ever, though his eyes twinkled with mirth, letting both Henry and Josie know that he was privy to the incident that had occurred that morning. 

“You’re forgiven.” Henry said with a nod, turning back to his breakfast. Another bout of silence followed, only to be broken by Ethel’s curious voice. 

“Do we have to knock now because you and Josie were touching privates this morning?” She asked innocently, her tiny nose scrunched up in confusion. Chaos broke out then, starting with Henry’s head falling into his hands with a groan at the same time that Josie’s chair scraped loudly against the floor as she quickly made her exit, the front door slamming behind her. 

“Wait, you were doing  _ what _ !?” Ruthie gasped, her face contorted in utter horror. Harry looked just as horrified, looking at his brother with a slack jaw as Lillian cleared her throat. 

“That’s quite enough!” She said in a fruitless attempt of trying to reign in this chaos that has descended over them. 

“Henry you are absolutely  _ vile _ !” Ruthie said shrilly as Ethel sat in her seat watching on to the madness she had inadvertently created. 

“Were you two doing something bad?” She asked, wide eyed and scandalized by the fuss. 

“No!” Henry shouted at the same time his mother shouted, “Yes!” and he said damn it all to not making eye contact so that he could shoot her a dirty look. 

“Do you want a grandchild or not, woman?” He said hotly, wincing a moment later when his father reached out to cuff him on the back of the head. 

“Think twice before you talk to your mother like that again, son.” He said gruffly, and Henry just grumbled darkly as he rubbed the sore spot gingerly. 

“Wait, you have to touch _ what  _ to get  _ what _ ?” Ruthie shrieked, looking sickly pale as if she were on the verge of fainting. 

“Calm down, Ruthie.” Lillian said soothingly, reaching out to run a hand over Ruthie’s dark hair. “It isn’t something you should be worrying about right now. And Ethel, they weren’t doing anything wrong because he and Josie are married.” Lillian said quickly, scrambling for an explanation that would not ruin the innocence of her three unmarried children. “But, you should never,  _ ever  _ let anyone see you in such a way until you are married as well. It isn’t proper.” 

“But Mother, his  _ thing  _ was in her  _ bottom! _ ” Ethel exclaimed, looking at Henry in accusation. Henry, completely unprepared for that particular statement, snorted coffee up his nose. 

“Shit!” He swore loudly at the burn, his face even worse at the absolute mortification and his pain doubling from the second cuff to the head he received from his father for swearing at the table. He was quick to recover out of necessity, shaking his head quickly to dispel Ethel’s misconception. “That is most certainly  _ not-“ _

_ “ _ Henry, please!” His mother shouted, keeping her hands over her face at the same time Ruthie shrieked, “ _ Ew!”  _

_ Thank God that Josie’s already left. She’d divorce me to avoid ever seeing my family again if she heard  _ that  _ comment.  _ He thought ruefully. 

“What do you want me to say, mother? Should we just let her go on thinking that I sodo-”

“Don’t finish that sentence and get a hold of yourself, son. There are some words I’d like to keep out of your younger sibling’s vocabularies. Now, let’s just eat breakfast and settle down.” Samuel said gruffly, his firm tone effectively silencing the pandemonium at the table. Henry huffed, taking another sip from his coffee. The whole day was shaping up to be a nightmare that he couldn’t escape.

_ ‘I’m really going to have to get a hold on myself now, seeing as how Josie will likely never touch me again after this. It was a nice two times together, looks like I’m back to servicing myself from now on.’  _ He thought bitterly, his appetite thoroughly ruined. 

“As delicious and riveting as the meal has been, I’ll have to excuse myself.” He huffed after a few minutes of terse silence. “I need to make sure my wife hasn’t left for Saskatchewan without me. Perhaps we’ll be back before the end of the decade.” 

With that he turned and stalked out of the dining room, his footsteps echoing loudly through the house as he went. 

Steam was practically pouring out of his ears as he stormed back to his house, grumpy and sexually frustrated from the poorly timed interruption that morning. He just hoped that he could talk Josie down from jumping on the first train out of town...though with how the morning had gone, the idea of moving very, very far away from his intrusive family seemed like a good idea. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope y'all enjoyed this one!
> 
> As always, if there's something you would like to see for this universe, feel free to leave a comment/request!


	6. A Mother’s Worst Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: A Mother’s Worst Nightmare   
> Rating: G  
> Summary: Henry’s mother’s reaction to the events of Blissful Mornings (and Poorly Timed Interruptions)

“Are Henry and Josie going to be joining us for breakfast this morning?” Samuel asked when his wife marched into their bedroom after returning from her trip out to their son’s house, too busy buttoning up his waistcoat to notice Lillian’s red face and scandalized expression. 

“I’m not sure, dear. They were quite  _ busy _ when Ethel and I arrived this morning.” She said with a very undignified huff, throwing herself down onto her fainting couch and pressing a hand to her chest in an attempt to slow her racing heart. 

Samuel stopped what he was doing then, looking up for the first time to take in his wife’s frazzled demeanor. “Has something happened? Are they alright?” 

Lillian snorted, throwing aside niceties and manners, far too out of sorts to worry about being polite. “They’re both fine. It’s just that Ethel made herself at home, as she has a habit of doing- a habit that is to be broken starting today.” She explained with a heavy sigh, rubbing her temples as if to get rid of a migraine that was brewing. “She burst into their bedroom and caught them in the middle of…. married relations.” 

Samuel processed the information for a half moment before he chuckled to himself with a rueful shake of his head.  _ At least now we know that they actually do partake in such affairs. Good for them. _

__ “This is not a laughing matter, Samuel James!” Lillian cried, throwing her hands in the air. “Do you not realize the situation we have on our hands? Ethel was asking me questions the entire walk home! She asked me if his… Well,  _ you know,  _ was in her… Oh God, I can’t even say it.” 

“In her rear, I’m guessing?” He supplied, sitting down beside his hysterical wife on the couch, taking one of her hands in his. Lillian groaned with mortification, her head falling into her hands. Samuel rubbed her back gently with his free hand, trying his best to console her. “Well, I hope you were quick to tell her that the situation was not as it appeared to be.” 

“I told her in no certain terms that her assumption was very, very wrong. But then she asked, if not  _ there,  _ then  _ where _ .” She said with a horrified shiver, shaking the image out of her head. 

“Alright,” Samuel said with a nod, continuing to rub her back in an attempt to soothe her. “I suppose all we tell her for now is that they were partaking in marital activities and it isn’t something that she should worry about.” 

Lillian scoffed, looking up at her husband with an incredulous look. “Do you really think our curious little Ethel would accept that as an answer?” 

“Certainly not, which is why we must be the masters of redirection.” He said with a sure nod, squeezing her hand once more. She simply groaned weakly, leaning back against the couch. 

“I’ll never be able to look either of them in the eye ever again. They weren’t even under the blankets, for goodness sake!” She cried. 

“Lily, dear, it should come as no surprise to us that our married son might occasionally indulge himself in his wife. We also have a horrible habit of walking into their home without permission, I think it serves us right to see more than we bargained for.” Samuel said with a snort. “And while I know that doesn’t necessarily mean either of us want to see it happening, per se, we must act like adults about it all. In fact, with how often you pester Josie about grandchildren, you should be elated to know that they’re trying.” 

“Stop laughing at my plight.” Lillian scoffed, seeing his teasing for what it was. “I just hope they decline the invitation for breakfast so we don’t have to see either of them.” 

Samuel simply nodded, holding back his urge to grin as he stood up from the fainting couch and offered his hand out to help his wife stand up. 

“I’m sorry dear,” He said, leaning down to brush a kiss to her cheek. “We’ll just have to hope for the best.” 

Lillian could only grumble darkly, making her displeasure very known as she gathered her composure and left their bedroom, making their way to the dining room for what would be the most disastrous breakfast of all time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This made me laugh and I hope it made you laugh as well. Shirbert coming soon, I promise! I’m in the middle of finals week so hopefully I can sit down and do some good writing at the end of this week!


End file.
